November 27, 2018

Revving Up the Immune System to Fight Lung Cancer

Like many people who have been diagnosed with lung cancer, Jodi R. had no trouble breathing and no pain. She didn’t know that lung cancer was growing in her body until she was on vacation in Alaska and began to cough up blood. “That made me think I better get go to the doctor. I […]

August 10, 2018

Using Viruses to Attack Cancer May Help Stimulate the Immune System

New studies are finding a surprising potential ally in the fight against cancer: certain deadly viruses. In fact, since the late 1800s, doctors have observed that some cancer patients with viral infections have gone into remission, even though the reprieve was mostly temporary. The relationship may seem counterintuitive, but today researchers believe the cause and effect may […]

May 2, 2018

Focused Radiation May Help Turn On the Immune System

Much of the buzz over doctors’ ability to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer has focused on targeted treatments—drugs designed to zero in on specific properties of cancer cells, disrupting their signals and exposing them to an immune attack. Now, researchers are discovering that these and other immunotherapy drugs may be even more powerful […]

April 3, 2018

Why Robotic Surgery is ‘the Way of the Future’

Patients with cancers of the head and neck have long been faced with a daunting reality: because of the delicate anatomy of the face, neck and throat, tumors located in these sensitive areas of the body are often difficult to remove, especially without extensive damage to the jaw, nose or other affected features. But recent […]

January 10, 2018

New Approach Shows Faster Recovery After Surgery

Many runners swear by a practice called carb-loading, or bulking up on carbohydrate-rich food before a long race, as a way to fortify their bodies, prevent them from breaking down in the middle of the run and guard against injuries that will haunt them afterward. Much like those advance preparations, evolving pre-surgery programs are helping […]

December 10, 2017

A Blood Test That Can Tell You About Your Cancer

At the root of most cancer diagnoses is a biopsy, the surgical procedure used to remove a tumor so it can be examined for the presence of cancer cells. Doctors often rely on biopsies to help make an assessment of a cancer’s malignancy, stage, origin and DNA mutations that may be targeted with treatments. Some biopsies are minimally invasive; others may be […]

November 12, 2017

The Time Has Come to Screen for Lung Cancer

November’s designation as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month offers a timely opportunity to continue a national conversation about the need for early detection and screening. Lung cancer is the second most common non-skin cancer among American men and women, after prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. As with most cancers, when lung […]

November 12, 2017

Using Viruses to Help Fight Cancer

Most often when you think of a virus, you may think of a cold or the flu, illnesses you try to avoid. New research may change that perspective because recent studies show that certain viruses can actually be a powerful weapon in the body’s fight against cancer. The class of viruses, called oncolytic viruses, attack […]

October 9, 2017

Know Your Options for Breast Reconstruction

If you’ve had, or are scheduled to have, surgery as part of your breast cancer treatment, breast reconstruction is an option to help restore the shape of your breast, improving quality of life and self-esteem for some women. It’s estimated that only 23 percent of women understand the many options for reconstruction, which vary depending […]

September 8, 2017

Genetic Testing May Help Identify Medications More Likely to Work for You

Do you ever wonder why one medication works for one patient but not another? The answer may lie in pharmacogenomics. This growing area of personalized medicine studies how a person’s unique genetic makeup influences his or her response to pharmaceutical drugs and medications. “Just as our genes determine our blood type and eye color, they […]